


Promise

by Aluxra



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Fluff, Future Fic, M/M, Marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-28
Updated: 2015-08-28
Packaged: 2018-04-17 17:10:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4674746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aluxra/pseuds/Aluxra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hyde bonded with both Jokul and Jack, marking each of them as his mates. Now, Jack and Jokul have decided to marry in order to complete the circle and seal the bond between them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Promise

**Author's Note:**

> A birthday gift-fic for [Inkblotbun](http://inkblotbun.tumblr.com/), who requested a fic of the boys' wedding. March Hyde and Jokul Frosti belong to him, Winter Prince Jack Frost belongs to [The-Guardian-of-Fun](http://the-guardian-of-fun.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Enjoy xXx

Jokul frowned in concentration, pulling the flaps of material together around his wrist with one hand, trying to slide the cufflink through the buttonhole with the other. His fingers rebelled, stubborn and stiff, and he exhaled a puff of breath in exasperation, tossing the cufflink onto the table beside him and turning his attention to his shirt instead.

It was loose fitting, softer than wool with a wide collar. He fiddled with it, shifting it back and forth until he was satisfied and, after a moment hesitation, turned to one of the few mirrors that could be found in their nesting rooms - in the whole Warren actually – and checked himself over one last time.

He looked good; of course he did, in a simple loose shirt tucked in to the waistband of dark deerskin trousers, his feet still trademark bare. Frost spiralled around the wide collar, making it glitter under the light and giving the material just the barest amount of rigidity that helped it stay in place. Unfortunately, the cuffs didn’t have the same firmness, even when he had tried to blow ice crystals on them to get them to hold. They had a mind of their own, flapping around his wrists like his jacket sleeves.  

He pulled the shirt over slightly from the left, covering the scarred “J” peeking out from under the material and smoothed his hands down his shirt. His eyes flicked up to meet his own gaze briefly in the mirror, before he quickly averted them up to his hair. Experimentally, he ran his fingers through his hair, trying to tame it into something reasonable.

Not happening; he gave up, shaking his head to let it fall as it pleased around his face. He turned away from his reflection, glancing at the cufflinks on the table. He scooped them up in one hand and, glancing down once more at himself, he took a breath and wandered out, down to the entryway of their home.

Jack waited for him there, wearing a matching suit to Jokul’s, a few shades lighter in colour, still wearing his crown – the only thing unchanged from his usual attire. He didn’t see Jokul right away, lost in thought with a smile on his face as he leaned against the wall, tapping his foot idly and twirling the delicate earring hanging from his left ear between his fingers while he waited. He looked up when he felt Jokul approach, and his face lit up with a broad smile, warm and genuine. He pushed himself away from the wall, closing the gap between them until they stood in front of each other, each taking in the sight before them.

‘Well, _one_ of us will have to change,’ Jokul said with a grin. Jack snorted a laugh, shaking his head. He saw the loose flaps of Jokul’s sleeves around his wrists, nodding his head towards them.

‘Would you like me to hook them in for you?’ he asked. Jokul nodded, holding out his hand for Jack to take the polished metal cufflinks.

‘Nervous?’ Jokul asked, as Jack nimbly hooked the knotted metal through the shirt hole and clasped it shut.

‘Are you?’ Jack asked, glancing at Jokul through his eyelashes as he fixed the other cufflink.

‘Pfft, nah; best idea I’ve ever had,’ Jokul replied, grinning. Jack rolled his eyes and straightened, looking at Jokul through fine white eyelashes.

‘Best I’ve ever agreed to,’ he said. Jokul smiled crookedly and leaned forward, his hands coming up to cup Jack’s face as he pressed a firm kiss against his lips. Jack smiled into the kiss, his eyes drifting shut as he wrapped one arm around Jokul’s waist, his free hand cupping the back of Jokul’s neck and pulling his closer. Their fingers trailed the identical marks on the back of each other’s necks, the ring of ridged, irregular scars that bonded them to their shared mate. Today, it was their turn.

They broke the kiss, pressing their foreheads together.  Their eyes blinked open, trained on each other. There was a stretch of silence between them, the only sound in the room their shaky breaths, before Jack’s face lit up with a grin.

‘You’re meant to do that _afterwards_ ,’ he said. Jokul grinned back, huffing a laugh breathlessly.

‘Consider it for luck, princess,’ he said.

Jack rolled his eyes, kissing the corner of Jokul’s mouth chastely. ‘You ready?’

Jokul nodded, and they broke apart, stepping back. Their hands dropped to their sides, reaching for each other’s hand.

‘Come on,’ Jack encouraged, pulling him towards the entryway. Jokul fell into step beside him, lacing their fingers together as they wandered through the gently lit tunnel until they reached the sprawling valleys of the Warren. The wild, never-ending forests were dark and muted, reaching high into the air with grasping, gnarled boughs. Soft mists rolled out from around the meshwork of roots into the wild grasses and hovering on the banks of the colour river, glittering like diamond frost with the morning sun.

They jogged down cracked, broken stone steps that clung stubbornly to the wall, blanketed by years of spongy moss that cushioned their bare feet. They followed the path under archways worn away with time, passing slumbering stone sentinels on their way. The egg production was quiet, the flowers still budding in the late autumn of the Northern Hemisphere for the following Easter, their petals tinged with the softest hints of colour.

To outsiders and interlopers, the Warren would seem forbidden and dangerous. To the spirits welcomed there, it was otherworldly – a liminal space between the here and now and somewhere else – and to Jack and Jokul, it was home.

They entered into a clearing in a secluded, private area of the Warren, where a small gathering congregated in short rows of seats on either side of them, Hyde awaiting them at the end of the aisle, puffed up proudly till he looked like nothing but fur. Aster stood beside him, wrestling with the neckline of a tunic of Pookan design until Hyde raised one hand and set it on his head, stilling him. Aster looked up, seeing the two of them standing at the edge of the clearing and brightened, knocking Hyde’s hand off his head and rising on his tiptoes to whisper in his ear, describing what they looked like.

Jack squeezed his hand, and Jokul returned it as soft music filtered through the Warren from an unseen source, and they began to make their way towards Hyde. Jokul couldn’t tell if he was the one shaking or if Jack was, grinning like an idiot as they passed familiar faces turning to watch them, friends that they had made over the years, allies they trusted and respected: Marzanna, clad all in black, the air around her crackling with energy; Skaddi, her weapons strapped to her sides despite her elegant attire, and Oden Winter… who Jack had assured Jokul was happy for them and had been more than pleased to attend. He could stay firmly on Jack’s side of the aisle.

They reached Hyde far too slowly and far too quickly, the music muted, a hush falling over the crowd as they stopped in front of him, and he cleared his throat to begin.

‘ **I welcome you all into the Warren, and thank you for joining us in this blessed celebration** ,’ he began, addressing the crowd. ‘ **I am honoured by my two mates – Jokul Frosti and Jack Frost – who have asked me to unite them in matrimony today, and complete the circle of our shared bond, so that from this day forth, they will share their lives together as husbands. It is a bond that should not be forged lightly, as many present here know, for once made, it is for life. And ours are not short-lived.’**

He dropped his gaze to where he knew Jokul and Jack would be standing. ‘ **As such, I ask that you take a moment to reflect on your decision to enter into this union, if this is what you truly desire.’**

‘It is,’ Jack said.

‘It is,’ Jokul echoed.

‘ **Then turn to face each other, and as you have each written your own vows to each other, I ask you to let them be known to those bearing witness here today.’**

Jack recited his first, clasping both of Jokul’s blackened hands in his, as he kept them short and sweet, simple in wording but beyond the depths of infinity in meaning. Jokul had written his down on a piece of paper, to stop himself from rambling. He didn’t have much to offer Jack, he had known that from the very beginning, when today would been beyond comprehension to any of them. But he would give everything he could to Jack, his love, his life, his slowly stabilising sanity, if it was asked of him. Jack was patient with him as he read through them, promising everything he had to Jack.

After he had finished, Aster came forward with the rings, holding them up proudly for each of them to take for the other, and Jokul froze, belatedly realising the problem he faced. His fingers. They suffered the worst of the frostbite, cold and brittle and unforgiving: he wouldn’t be able to wear the ring, he wouldn’t be able to complete the bond. He had come so close and was about to fall flat on his goddamn face and ruin –

Jack reached for the plain metal band closest to him, grasping it between his thumb and forefinger as he lifted it. A long, delicate chain followed it, looped through the centre of it. Jokul stared at it, dumbstruck as Jack unclasped its hook, catching the look on Jokul’s face.

‘It still counts, as long as you are technically wearing it,’ he explained gently, lifting the two ends of the chain. ‘I checked. I promise… If you’re okay wearing it like this?’

Jokul nodded, swallowing drily, ignoring the itch behind his eyes as he bent his head forward, allowing Jack to slip the necklace around his throat. He huffed a breath, trying to keep it steady and Jack smiled, noticing. His hand came up to press against his sternum, where the ring rested on his skin, cool and smooth, foreign and familiar all at once.

‘Jokul Frosti, with this ring, I promise you my love and my devotion,’ he swore. ‘I will honour you and I will protect you with my life, for the rest of my life. I promise you that no matter how long or how far you walk the path you are on in this life, how deep or troubling your struggles are, you shall never face them alone, for I will always be by your side, from this day forward.’

Jokul blinked, nodded minutely, his hand reached up to slide the tip of his finger over the clasp of the necklace. It was too fiddly for Jokul to grip with his fingers, definitely too small for Hyde’s claws: to remove it, he’d have to ask Jack, or break the chain. Neither of those options sounded likely.

‘ **Jokul**?’ Hyde prompted gently. Jokul nodded, clearing his throat and straightening. Jack’s hands dropped away, and he took hold of one of Jokul’s hand once again as Jokul reached for the other ring, praying his fingers would work. Someone must’ve been watching over him, because he managed it without trouble. Glancing out the corner of his eye at Marzanna, she smiled back at him.

‘Jack Frost,’ he said, his smile returning. ‘With this ring, I promise you my love and devotion. I will honour you and I will protect you with my life, for the rest of my life. I promise that no matter how far or how deep I fall, I will always find my way back to you for I will never leave you alone. I will always be by your side, from this day forward.’

He slid the ring onto Jack’s finger, the final seal in the bond between them. Hyde hummed deep in his throat, more in tune with the power of the bonding than anyone else in the room, save for the gods, perhaps.

‘ **By the power vested in me, in the presence of all here today** ,’ he said. ‘ **I now pronounce you man and husband. You may kiss your groom**.’

‘ _Now_ you do it,’ Jack joked.

‘Smartass,’ Jokul replied, wrapping his arms around Jack’s shoulders and kissing him deeply on the lips. A cheer rang out around them and Jack pulled him closer, gripping him tight like Jokul was his only lifeline. The crowd melted away into a muted blur, until only Jack and Jokul remained, locked in their embrace, Aster by their legs and Hyde looking over them, proud and happy.

They finally broke apart, the cheer roaring back up in their ears as they stared at one another, catching their breath. Jokul grinned widely, grabbing Jack’s hand and leading him back down the aisle, almost skipping with joy as he felt the weight of the ring around his neck, felt the edge of it around Jack’s finger. Their bond was complete.

 

The reception was held in the Warren as well, and lasted well into the night, tables circling an empty plain of ground as the makeshift dance floor. Globes of multi-coloured lights hung in the air, floating overhead as the full moon rose high in the clear night sky to shine down on them, finally joining the celebration. Delicacies from around the world – and quite a number from outside of it – crowded the tables for the spirits to pick from at their leisure, many of them eating food as less of a requirement and more of a novel delight. Wine and mead and cider and a number of other beverages that they couldn’t keep track of had flown freely, though, a long line of speeches following close behind, some predicted, others as an unexpected surprise.

Aster had spent most of the evening between dancing with his favourite people or the very few he trusted and trying to steal gross volumes of cake – before and after they had cut it – leading the Guardians on a merry chase after him. He had only retired to his nest after he had wrangled almost an hour of clinging to Hyde’s back in a half dozing state late into the night. Hyde returned shortly afterwards, keeping close to his mates as the merriments continued: dancing, laughing, gift-giving, toasts and speeches and shared in-jokes between them. Marzanna had craftily snagged several dances with each of the grooms, and even one with Hyde, much to the delight of Jack and Jokul as they watched.

Finally, as the night drew to a close, the final dance was to be taken: the same Jack and Jokul had first danced to in the beginning of the evening, this time joined by everyone who wished to join. Skaddi and Oden circled the edge of the dancefloor, keeping a short distance between them and the other revellers. North led Tooth in a simple waltz, and Sandy offered his hand to Mother Goose.

Jack and Jokul swayed in the middle of the dancers, circling each other like satellites, barely a hairbreadth between them. Jack rested his head on Jokul’s shoulder, his eyes drifting half shut as he sighed contently. Jokul turned to press a kiss against Jack’s head lightly, his soft white locks tickling his nose and brushing his cheek.

‘Best idea you’ve ever had,’ Jack murmured. Jokul chuckled under his breath.

‘Even better the one with the glitter bombs and the yeti in the workshop?’

Jack looked up at him from under his eyelashes, deadpan. ‘Yes.’

‘Even better than the elf revolution?’

‘Definitely.’

‘Even better than-’

‘Jokul,’ Jack interrupted, raising his head from his shoulder and looking him straight in the eye. He cocked his head to the side, blinking. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘What? Nothing,’ Jokul said quickly. ‘It’s fine. I’m fine. It’s all good.’

‘Jokul.’

There was a pause, Jokul’s eyes darting everywhere except to meet Jack’s. From where he hovered at the edge of the dancefloor, Hyde shifted, turning his blind eyes in their direction, tuned to their emotions.

Jokul sighed, looking down at their feet as he tried to find the words. ‘Earlier, you asked me if I was nervous.’

‘Mm-hmm.’

‘I guess I, I kinda am?’ he said, shuffling his feet. ‘I know I’m… a lot better than I was. I’m not, I’m still not… yeah, anyway. Still some tricks, I think, hidden away. They can still… I know they can still fuck me over-’

Jack’s arms tightened around him at the mention of the fearlings, even without Jokul mentioning them by name. They tormented Jokul when they had the chance, despite how far he had come since the early days of when Jack had first met him. Still, they had no part in today, and Jack clutched Jokul tightly, as if that alone would protect him from their possession.

‘I keep thinking that… today is perfect,’ Jokul continued, his eyes briefly meeting Jack’s before they dropped to their feet again. ‘Today is… I can’t even remember the last perfect day I had, other than bonding with Hyde. Though even that has gaps missing.’

‘Blood loss does that to you,’ Jack said softly. Jokul smiled ruefully.

‘Can’t take that chance when blacking out,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘Every time there’s a gap, I need to assume… but I’m here today. Been here the whole day.’

‘And that’s making you nervous.’

It was a statement, not a question: Jack knew him too well. Jokul nodded.

‘Fuck, it’s too perfect,’ he said, dropping his head to press it against Jack’s shoulder. ‘It’s too perfect, I don’t want it to end. Everything is better than I could ever have imagined and… I’m going to wake up and it’s going to be some sort of fucked up dream and I’ll be all alone strapped up in my jacket listening to them laughing instead of everyone dancing. Shit, I really don’t want today to end. I don’t want it to fucking end and I go to sleep and I wake up and it’s been a fucking dream.’

Jack said nothing for several moments, and Jokul closed his eyes, listening to him breathe.

‘Jokul?’

‘Hmm?’

‘Look at me, Jokul,’ Jack asked, and Jokul slowly raised his head, hesitantly meeting Jack’s eyes. Jack met his gaze steadily, reaching up with one hand to wipe under Jokul’s eyes before any tears could form and fall. ‘If you wake up tomorrow morning having dreamed all this, it will be because it is a wedding gift from Sandy, giving you a chance to relive today in your sleep. But if you are feeling the same way as I am feeling, no dream will _ever_ be able to compare to this. And if no dream concocted by Sandy, drawn straight from the _happiest_ memory I have of my life, can compare to this, nothing _they_ can even _try_ to think up in their tiny rotten little brains will be able to take this from you. I promise.’

Jokul exhaled heavily, pressing his forehead against Jack’s. ‘I love you,’ he whispered. ‘I really love you.’

‘I love you, too. I’m right here,’ Jack said. Jokul nodded, meeting Jack halfway as Jack leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips, encouraging a smile back onto Jokul’s lips, until he relaxed in Jack’s embrace.

‘Dream all you want, I’m not going anywhere,’ Jack repeated when they broke apart, smiling warmly as he raised his left hand to eye level, showing off his wedding ring. ‘I promise.’


	2. Broken

Jokul started awake, groaning as the remnants of his dream skittered off into nothingness in the early morning light. It was almost completely forgotten by the time he blinked awake fully, looking around to see Hyde hovering over his bed, as if standing guard.

‘How long was I out?’ he asked, his voice dry and raspy.

‘ **A few days** ,’ Hyde replied with a shrug. ‘ **It was pretty bad. They got worst of it.’**

‘Of course they fucking did,’ Jokul muttered, pushing himself up in bed stiffly and swinging his legs over the side, gritting his teeth against the flare of pain that resonated from his left side. He raised a bandaged hand to curl around his ribs, wincing as every shift and twist of his body caused him to ache deep in his bones. He attempted to stand, gasping in pain as darkness encroached on the edges of his vision.

‘ **Jokul,** ’ Hyde warned, coming round to his side of the bed, reaching out one hand to stop him from standing. ‘ **Just cause they got the worst o’ it doesn’t mean you didn’t get any of it.** ’

‘Noted,’ Jokul said, hissing as he pressed his hand harder against his side, and batted Hyde’s hand away. He shuffled closer to the edge of the bed and forced himself to stand, shaky on his feet but still upright. That would have to do.

‘ **Jokul, you need to rest,** ’ Hyde growled as Jokul wandered over to the basin of water on the table wedged in the corner.  **‘You’re still healing.’**

‘I’ve had enough fucking rest,’ Jokul snapped, splashing his face with water. He gripped the edge of the basin, trying to wake up. He’d have to find Sandy and talk to him about any dreams he was sending out, they were slipping into Jokul’s sleep again.

‘ **For fucks sake, Jokul,’**  Hyde argued. ‘ **I promise the world isn’t going to fucking end if you just take one more day-** ’

Jokul burst out laughing, cutting him off. His shoulders shook from the strength of it as it rattled around in his chest and rose up his throat, high-pitched and cruel, making him wheeze with pain on every inhale. Hyde scowled, silent as Jokul continued to laugh, the sound filling their ears and carrying on the morning wind.

‘Haven’t you heard, Hyde?’ he cackled, straightening up and looking into the beaten metal shield that served as a mirror. A mad man stared back at him, shocking white hair framing a narrow face, cold blue eyes surrounded by black drawn to the broken promise hanging around his neck.

‘It already did.’


End file.
